Pamela Anderson has spoken candidly about being diagnosed with hepatitis C in the late 1990s, describing it as a "death sentence" at the time, while accepting the Award of Courage at the amfAR Venezia Gala 2026.

The diagnosis

Anderson, 59, told the audience that when she was diagnosed, there was no cure available, and doctors told her she likely had around 10 years to live. She said the diagnosis affected her decisions during that period, explaining that her fear wasn't centred on death itself but on what might happen to her young children, saying it turned her life inside out.

Getting treated, and the cost of it

More than a decade after her diagnosis, an effective treatment became available. Anderson said she was fortunate to access it early, though it came at significant personal cost, spending everything she had since it wasn't yet covered by insurance. She said she felt considerable guilt knowing others didn't have the same access, adding that while she's grateful to now be hepatitis C free, the shame and guilt from that period has stayed with her.

The emotional toll

Anderson said that despite publicly encouraging others to get tested, she was privately struggling, describing herself as angry and scared and going into what she called "sabotage mode." She also connected the shame she felt to childhood sexual abuse she experienced, saying the diagnosis felt like it branded her as damaged in the same way that earlier trauma had.

She said she hasn't fully recovered from the experience but feels she may have finally come to terms with it.

Her recovery

Anderson publicly announced she had been cured of hepatitis C in 2015, sharing the news on Instagram. Speaking to ABC News at the time, she reflected again on being told she had roughly a decade to live, saying that kind of prognosis changes a person subconsciously. She spent more than $100,000 on treatment through her health insurance, describing a 12-week course that resolved the illness and gave her back what felt like 20 years of her life.

Finding purpose through her work

Anderson has experienced a career resurgence in recent years, appearing in films including The Last Showgirl, The Naked Gun, Rosebush Pruning, and Place to Be, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week. She said acting and the arts have given her a way to process her experiences, describing her work as where her truth has come through, and said she now sees herself as strong and capable rather than a victim.